A Guided Sampler Kit for Rigid Heddle Loom Owners Ready to Move Beyond Plain Weave - Includes Pick-Up Stick, British Wool Yarn and Detailed Instructions
Learn 11 pick-up stick weaving patterns on your own rigid heddle loom with this guided sampler kit. Includes a 33.5cm pick-up stick, dark green and bright pink British wool DK yarn, and a detailed instruction booklet. The loom is not included.
What is Pick-Up Stick Weaving?
Pick-up stick weaving uses a flat, pointed wooden stick to manually select and lift specific warp threads before passing the weft through. Unlike the rigid heddle - which lifts every other warp thread simultaneously —-a pick-up stick gives you direct control over which individual threads are raised for each row. This control allows you to create patterns and textures that are impossible with the heddle alone: raised floats, lace structures, textured blocks, and repeating geometric patterns.
What Are Warp Floats and Weft Floats?
The patterns in this kit are built from two structural elements:
- Warp float: a warp thread passes over one or more weft threads without interlacing, creating a raised line or texture in the warp direction
- Weft float: a weft thread passes over one or more warp threads, creating a raised line or texture in the weft direction
By controlling which threads float and for how many rows, you build up complex textured and patterned surfaces. The instruction booklet introduces these concepts progressively, starting with simple floats and building to multi-element patterns.
The 11 Patterns
The instruction booklet guides you through 11 pick-up stick patterns in sequence, each building on the skills of the last:
The completed sampler demonstrates all 11 patterns in sequence. It can be kept as a permanent weaving reference - a reminder of how each pattern is achieved or mounted on a stick as a wall hanging.
From Sampler to Wall Hanging
The finished sampler is woven in sections with dark green and bright pink British wool. When mounted on a display stick (not included), it becomes a textile wall hanging that shows off all 11 patterns in a single piece. The combination of bold colourway and varied textured sections makes it a genuinely decorative object as well as a functional reference.
What is in the Kit
- Pick-up stick – 33.5cm wooden pick-up stick, matched to the TabbyandTweed rigid heddle loom width
- 2 skeins of British wool DK yarn in dark green and bright pink – sufficient to weave the complete sampler
- Detailed instruction booklet – step-by-step guidance through all 11 pick-up stick patterns
The loom and display/wall hanging stick are not included. The sampler as shown in the images is not included - it is an example of what you will weave.
Loom Compatibility
- Rigid heddle loom with a 7.5 or 8 ends per inch (epi) heddle with 82 (slots/holes)
- The TabbyandTweed rigid heddle loom (8epi, 26cm weaving width) is fully compatible with this kit.
Who This Kit Is For
This kit is for rigid heddle loom owners who are comfortable with warping and have completed at least one previous project. It is not a beginner kit - pick-up stick weaving requires an understanding of warp and weft before the additional technique of the stick can be meaningfully applied.
If you are looking for a more accessible intermediate step, the TabbyandTweed colour-and-weave or log cabin scarf kits are good precursors to this sampler.
FAQ's
What is pick-up stick weaving?
Pick-up stick weaving uses a flat wooden stick to manually select specific warp threads before passing the weft through, allowing patterns and textures impossible with the rigid heddle alone.
What are warp floats and weft floats?
A warp float is a warp thread that passes over one or more weft threads without interlacing, creating texture in the warp direction. A weft float is the reverse. Together they are the building blocks of all pick-up stick patterns.
Does the kit include the pick-up stick?
Yes. The kit includes a 33.5cm wooden pick-up stick, dark green and bright pink British wool DK yarn, and a detailed instruction booklet. The loom and display stick are not included.
Is this suitable for beginners?
No. This is for weavers who already own a rigid heddle loom and are comfortable with warping and basic plain weave. Pick-up stick technique requires a foundation in basic weaving.
How many patterns does the sampler teach?
11 pick-up stick patterns, taught progressively through the instruction booklet. The finished sampler demonstrates all 11 and can be displayed as a wall hanging.
